Leander (1853/11/13)

White Point, Irwin

Leander was built at New Brunswick in 1849 of birch, pine and spruce, iron fastened. The North American vessels were mostly built of softwoods and did not have the working life of those made of hardwood (e.g. oak). The draught when loaded was 13 ft 6 in (4?m) but it was noted that when the vessel left Fremantle heading to Champion Bay on what proved to be its final voyage, it only drew 9 ft (2.7?m). This indicates that it was only carrying a small amount of cargo. This was fortunate as it enabled the Leander to bump across the reef as described below and reach the shore.
The owners were Smith & Co., and Captain R. J. Johnston was the master at the time it was wrecked. There was a crew of 22 ‘Malay’ sailors and the ship’s apprentice, E. Bruce, on board. Here it should be noted that ‘Malay’ was incorrectly applied during the 19th century to ‘generally describe those people inhabiting the islands to the north of Australia’ (McCarthy, 1989: 6). It included Malaysians, Singaporeans, Timorese (also referred to as Kupangers, Coepangers or Koepangers), Indonesians and Philippinos (often referred to as Manillamen). The term was used indiscriminately except where there was a direct reference to a particular place of origin.
Leander was carrying general cargo for Champion Bay. After discharging the cargo it was to load ore at Port Gregory for Singapore. From there it was to head for England, and would not be returning to Western Australia.
There were six passengers on board: Henry Robert Grellet, Robert Evans, Kenneth Brown (later of ‘Glengarry’), two new miners, Ashton and Cole, and Thomas Drummond of ‘Oakabella’ (eldest brother of James and John). The day before it was wrecked one of the Malay crew had died and was buried at sea late that same afternoon.
THE LOSS
Captain Johnston thought the ship’s position to be 4 miles further north from its actual position. Hove to under close reefed fore topsail and mainsail because of a northerly storm, the Leander struck a reef about 10 miles offshore. This occurred at 10 p.m. on 13 November 1853. The reef struck was about 14 miles south of the mouth of the Irwin River, and the Leander bumped across it losing the rudder and sustaining damage to the hull. It began to take in water, and the master set all sail in order to run it on to the beach. It was fortunate that the vessel’s shallow draught, the result of its light loading, enabled it to cross the reef. It was run aground ‘in a very favourable place’ (Resident Magistrate to Col. Sec. CSO 256/202, 3 Dec. 1853, quoted in Henderson, Research notes). The wreck very quickly settled into the sand.
All the passengers and crew got ashore safely, using two of the brigantine’s boats. A kedge anchor was also taken ashore. This secured a line from ship to shore and aided the movement of the boats as they salvaged cargo and goods. The following day, after an argument between the master and the Malay crew, the crew set off to walk along the beach towards Fremantle. Eleven returned the next day, but there is no record of what happened to the others. Attempts by some of the crew to walk north to Geraldton were also unsuccessful. It was not until thirteen days after the wrecking that one of the passengers, Robert Evans, with the assistance of a local Aborigine, obtained help from Lockier Burges on the Irwin River.
INQUIRY
The Resident Magistrate, William Burges, Captain H.A. Sanford and G.C. Evans held a survey on the vessel and condemned it as a total wreck. Captain Johnson received criticism for his treatment of the crew, as it was alleged that the reason for them leaving was that Johnson had taken away their rice rations. He later left the government to care for seven of the crew, while the remainder worked for their food, some at the Geraldine Mine and others at Port Gregory. The crew were owed wages, but they were neither paid by Captain Johnson nor repatriated back to their own country.
INITIAL SALVAGE
Food was brought ashore from the wreck together with a horse, a sheep and at least one case of claret. Spars and sails were used to erect tents on shore. A sand-bar quickly formed between the ship and the shore, enabling some of the cargo to be saved by men wading out in water only knee deep. While a portion of the cargo was found to be damaged, much was totally lost. The Helen and Mary took some of the salvaged cargo on to Port Gregory two months later.
SITE LOCATION
The vessel settled near a large ‘sand ridge that ran several kilometres inland and was a prominent feature’ (Henderson, 1988: 18). This would suggest that the Leander was wrecked close to White Point. The survivors of the wreck of the Cochituate, walking south in 1861, came across yards and pieces of wreckage on the beach about 20 km south of the Irwin River. It is possible that this wreckage was from the Leander.
SITE DESCRIPTION
Despite a number of searches the wreck of the Leander has not been found. There is strong evidence that the wreck site is near White Point as old charts show only this prominent sand patch in the general area. The coastline there appears to have moved up to 50 m seaward over the years. Particular reference should be made regarding the detailed research carried out by R. Sheppard and J. Clarke (see WAM File No. MA-115/80—Dongara Wrecks).

Leander at 173 tons was one of the first substantial vessels to enter the smaller ports and anchorages along the Western Australian coast. It was larger than the schooners, ketches and cutters that carried most of the coastal trade.